Trial of US Pastor Andrew Brunson, Resumes in Western Turkey

According to judicial sources The trial of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is facing terrorism-related charges in Turkey, will resume in western Izmir province on Friday. Brunson was taken from his house where he had been under house arrest since July 25 under strict security measures and brought to the prison and courthouse complex in Aliaga district for the trial.

Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (m), escorted by Turkish plain clothes police officers as he arrives at his house on July 25, 2018, in Izmir. STRINGER / AFP

n July 25, citing Brunson’s health problems, an Izmir court ordered him moved from jail to house arrest. Brunson’s charges include spying for the PKK listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization ‘FETO’, the group behind the defeated coup attempt in Turkey of July 2016.

Turkey and the U.S. have faced rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions over Brunson’s detention. Political tensions between the two countries sparked worries in the markets after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure to secure Brunson’s release.